Disruptors 2015: Lenny Lebovich, PRE Brands

Fresh meat has historically been a commodity business - all about selling USDA-graded products with price and promotions - but new players with a different vision are coming to town. Players like Lenny Lebovich, the founder and CEO of PRE Brands, are bringing to market a new branded line of 100% grass-fed steaks and ground beef. PRE-branded beef products are currently being sold through several supermarkets and regional Walmart Supercenters. Sure, grass-fed beef has been around for a while, but I offer up that the whole go-to-market approach of PRE offers "creative disruption" for the mainline supermarket meat department. PRE also deserves recognition for its multiprong approach to continuously driving sales. The products are branded and packaged to appeal to many consumers' desire for transparency around their beef, but the PRE team also provides retailers with merchandising guidance to maximize sales. Since all PRE products carry a standard UPC, not a variable weight code, "It's easier to track and benchmark performance, which is one of the things that makes it easier to continuously learn and improve," explains Lebovich. A lot of that learning comes from the merchandising field force of PRE that's equipped with technology to gather continuous feedback from customers and store employees.